In 1983 I bought a tape that was my most prized possession for a good few months. I was 10 years old and I hammered the first five tracks on the compilation known as Trac-Man.
Among the songs were Little Red Corvette by Prince, Human League's Fascination, and best of
all was Michael Jackson's Beat It.
Thriller, the album Beat It was off, had come out the year before and my sister had it on tape. But back then, being a sport-loving lad, I only really had time for the chest-beating, tough-guy anthem Beat It.
Billie Jean and Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' were for the girls to dance to, and I won't even bother with what I thought, and still think, about his soppy duet with Paul McCartney on The Girl Is Mine.
It was only later that I came to realise Billie Jean contains the best beat ever recorded and Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is not far behind.
Still, as albums go I would pass on Thriller any day in favour of 1979's Off the Wall - songs like Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough and the smooth Rock With You will get you yelping, grabbing your crotch, and moonwalking (not that he had invented it by then) around the lounge.
Back then Jackson was still a good-looking black boy with dance moves that would displace any normal person's hip. Now, sadly, there will be no more dancing for Michael. No doubt the jokes about his death will surface, the conspiracy theories will fly, and his dodgy past will be dredged up.
But it's the music - some of it anyway - that I will remember Wacko Jacko for. Thriller is the biggest-selling record of all time; his lovely loping take on Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine remains one of the best cover versions ever; and then of course there is his masterpiece, Off the Wall.
